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U.S. needs jobs beyond minimum wage

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Tuesday January 7, 2014 5:39 AM

Minimum wage in Ohio recently went from $7.85 to $7.95 (Dispatch article, Thursday). As a high-school student, I wonder whether anyone really
thinks raising it by 10 cents is going to make a difference. A significant increase such as $1 or
$2 an hour would have a dramatic impact on those making minimum wage and supporting a family.

In order to pay for a significantly increased minimum wage, someone must absorb the cost. The
cost comes in the form of increased prices for goods and services. When the cost is passed to
consumers, people earning minimum wage also have to pay higher prices, which negates any wage
increase as they pay more for everything.

When does the push for $9 or $10 an hour begin? The focus needs to be on creating real jobs, not
more minimum-wage positions that continuously require us to determine what the new arbitrary “
dollars per hour” figure should be.

Imagine an environment where the government provides real incentives to grow businesses that
generate jobs with living wages and rewards businesses when they can proudly label their goods “
Made in America.”